Nokia Buys Mobile Application Analytics Firm

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Nokia has agreed to acquire mobile analytics firm Motally for an undisclosed fee. Motally's technology offers in-app tracking and reporting services across Apple and RIM devices and those running Google's Android OS, but not currently those manufactured by Nokia.

In a release, Nokia said little about its plans for the company, besides that it intends to adapt its technology to function on its own devices. "The acquisition underpins Nokia's drive to deliver in-application and mobile Web browsing analytics to Ovi's growing, global eco-system of developers and publishers, enabling partners to better connect with their customers and optimize and monetize their offering," said Marco Argenti, VP media for Nokia.

As well as providing developers with insights into their audiences, analytics platforms such as Motally's are central to ad sales and monetization efforts. Nokia rivals Apple and Google have made major investments in the mobile advertising space in the past year, and both acquired analytics capabilities with their acquisitions of Quattro and AdMob, respectively. Nokia's other major handset rival RIM has also been linked with a purchase of mobile ad network Millennial Media, which offers an analytics product of its own.

Ironically, Nokia was ahead of the mobile advertising curve when it acquired Enpocket in 2007. At the time, the company's director of ad services Tom Henriksson said it saw mobile advertising as a fast growing market, but it soon scaled back its aspirations following a lack of substantial advertiser interest.

Since Google's acquisition of AdMob and the launch of Apple's iAd, however, advertiser interest has accelerated drastically, and Nokia appears to be lagging. Its advertising services site is not currently live, and neither is Enpocket's.